Roadside stop-suspect alleges improper strip search

MONROE, GA -- An interesting package recently arrived at 11Alive's Center for Investigative Action. It was a complaint about an alleged strip and cavitysearch, out in public,along highway 78 in Monroe. The stop occurred May 1, of this year, and was captured on police cameras.

21-year-old Darryl Lynn James of Athens was stopped by a Walton County Sheriff's Deputyand subjected to the searchafter officers said they smelledmarijuana on him.In the video you can hear James complaining about police looking down his pants and then you see him try to get away.

It's what happens off camera, that is at the center of the allegations. After James ran, you can hear a struggle and hear officers tasering him. James claims the officers did a cavity search, out in the open, and in front of a female officer.

"The deputies say that never happened. He had his underwear on the whole time," said Walton County Sheriff, Joe Chapman.

To get another opinion, we showed the video to Attorney Dan Grossman.

"We don't see anything, that's going on, off camera here," he said.

Grossman has successfully sued the Atlanta Police Department for improper strip searches conductedin public places. However, he couldn't condemn the actions of officers in this case.

"Here there seems to be several grounds for lawful arrest. He's speeding, he didn't have a driver's license at certain point he clearly began obstructing and resisting."

According to guidelines issued by a Federal Court Judge, cavity searches cannot be conducted in public and must be done only with cause after getting a warrant. Walton County's Sheriff says the guidelines were followed and that James' pants fell when he tried to run away.

James is facing a charge of Possession of Marijuana and two counts of Felony Obstruction of an Officer.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation still has an open case into James' complaint.